AP

By Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that a cease-fire and hostage-release agreement between Israel and Hamas was still possible, despite the two sides being far apart on the central terms for a deal. Blinken was in the region trying to broker an arrangement that could bring

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — Wartime aid for Ukraine was left hanging in the Senate Wednesday after Republicans blocked a bipartisan border package that had been tied to the funding, then struggled to coalesce around a plan to salvage the aid for Kyiv. After GOP senators scuttled months of negotiations with Democrats on legislation intended

By Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Celebrating Super Bowl championships has become an annual tradition for NFL coaches and executives agent Bob LaMonte. He’s going for seven in a row when Kansas City plays San Francisco on Sunday. LaMonte, who represents Chiefs general manager Brett Veach, coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, has

By Associated Press BAGHDAD — A U.S. drone strike blew up a car in the Iraqi capital Wednesday night, killing a high-ranking commander of the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia who is responsible for “directly planning and participating in attacks” on American troops in the region, the U.S. military said Wednesday. The precision blast hit a

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Justice Department special counsel investigating President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents has completed his inquiry and a report is expected to be made public soon to Congress and the public, Attorney General Merrick Garland told lawmakers in a letter Wednesday. Garland did not detail the conclusions of the

By Associated Press SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The PGA Tour shifts this week from the soggy-but-picturesque coast of Northern California to a party in the desert. The Phoenix Open, dubbed “Greatest Show on Grass,” is unlike anything in golf. Masses of up to 200,000 fans pack TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course with cheers, boos and the occasional

By Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri senators on Wednesday voted against amending the state’s strict law against abortions to allow exceptions in cases of rape and incest. The state banned almost all abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade. Abortions currently are only legal “in cases of medical

By Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas proposed to the NFL in December 2021. ”Let’s just marry these brands, and let’s bring the Super Bowl here,” Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, recalled telling a room of NFL franchise owners. They said yes. The betrothal culminates Sunday

By Associated Press ATLANTA — Top Georgia lawmakers say moviemakers should be required to do more than just show a peach at the end of the credits to get the top benefit from Georgia’s lucrative film tax credit. Thanks in large part to tax breaks, productions including “The Hunger Games,” the Marvel movies, the Fast

By Associated Press Red Solo cups – a staple of barbecues and beer pong – are usually synonymous with good times. But on Tuesday, as word of country singer Toby Keith’s death spread, many were raising their red Solos in sad tribute to the singer, who immortalized the humble plastic cups in his 2011 hit

By Associated Press HENDERSON, Nev. — Patrick Mahomes is a much different quarterback than he was four years ago, when he helped the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl to end a championship drought stretching back five decades. He’s a different man, for that matter, a father of two

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Wall Street rose to the edge of another record-breaking milestone Wednesday as Ford Motor, Chipotle Mexican Grill and other big stocks climbed following their latest earnings reports. The S&P 500 got within a fraction of a point of the 5,000 level before ending the day at 4,995.06. The index

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — For the first time in more than two decades, Mexico last year surpassed China as the leading source of goods imported to the United States. The shift reflects the growing tensions between Washington and Beijing as well as U.S. efforts to import from countries that are friendlier and closer to

By Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota has reached a settlement with Eli Lilly and Co. in a price gouging lawsuit against the country’s three biggest insulin manufacturers that guarantees that Minnesotans can now buy Lilly-produced insulin for only $35 a month for the next five years, Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Wednesday. The

By Associated Press BANGKOK — Chinese and U.S. officials have met in Beijing for talks on tough issues dividing the two largest economies, as trade and tariffs increasingly draw attention in the runup to the U.S. presidential election. China’s Ministry of Finance said Beijing raised objections to higher tariffs on Chinese exports, two-way investment restrictions

By Josh Woods West Virginia University The Conversation via AP One hundred years into the future, what if millions of people gathered every February, not to watch the Super Bowl, but to instead watch the annual world flag football championship? Once a casual activity played at family reunions, the competitive sport of flag football is

By Associated Press Patrick Mahomes’ playoff career now encompasses the equivalent of a 17-game season played against only the best of competition. The numbers Mahomes has put up in those games would be staggering even if they were produced in the regular season. Mahomes has 5,260 yards combined passing and rushing in those games, has

By Associated Press TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas’ highest court has closed out a nearly 13-year-old lawsuit that repeatedly forced the Republican-controlled Legislature to boost funding for public schools, and Democrats predicted Wednesday that GOP colleagues soon would be trying to backslide on lawmakers’ promises. The state Supreme Court’s brief order Tuesday shutting down the suit

By Columbia Missourian via My Courier-Tribune Two transgender minors will continue to receive prescribed medication amid a lawsuit with UM System Board of Curators. But action in the lawsuit now rests on the court’s evaluation of the curators’ motion to dismiss the case outright under an 11th Amendment immunity claim. The suit has been steadily

By Missouri Independent via My Courier-Tribune Mining cryptocurrency requires enormous amounts of computing power and electricity, both to keep the digital calculations going and to cool the machines doing the work. A legislator from St. Charles County wants to make it easier for entrepreneurs to set up their mines in Missouri, proposing legislation that prevents

By Missouri Independent via My Courier-Tribune Legislation boosting teacher recruitment and retention in Missouri is once again a priority of the Missouri House, with a hearing Wednesday morning on a pair of Republican-backed bills. Rep. Ed Lewis, a Republican from Moberly, is sponsoring legislation based on the findings of the State Department of Elementary and

By My Courier-Tribune LIBERTY — The city of Liberty will gain a U.S. headquarters for TAB, an international manufacturer of industrial, SLT and lithium-ion batteries, later this year. Efforts to recruit the business have come from various organizations including Liberty Economic Development Corp., the Kansas City Area Development Council and Liberty. TAB USA will take